


Do I get bonus points if I pretend to care?

by yellowjelo



Series: Kori Tian'otha [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Miqo'te (Final Fantasy XIV), Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 11:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16262945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowjelo/pseuds/yellowjelo
Summary: Just before Kori leaves his tribe------The stars shone brightly over the deserts of Thanalan. The best spot to view them, in U’Korih’s opinion, were the rock pillars that rose up over their little oasis spring. He could lay up there for hours, lost in his own adventures, only realizing how late it would be when the sky started to be speckled with the pinks of dawn. It was lounging on the top of these rocks were U’Shima found the young Tia. He hadn’t noticd her approach at all, daydreaming about his fantasies she was certain of it. She used this to her advantage, taking all the hunting and stealth training she had been learning from her elders and snuck up behind U’Korih.





	Do I get bonus points if I pretend to care?

The stars shone brightly over the deserts of Thanalan. The best spot to view them, in U’Korih’s opinion, were the rock pillars that rose up over their little oasis spring. He could lay up there for hours, lost in his own adventures, only realizing how late it would be when the sky started to be speckled with the pinks of dawn. It was lounging on the top of these rocks were U’Shima found the young Tia. He hadn’t noticd her approach at all, daydreaming about his fantasies she was certain of it. She used this to her advantage, taking all the hunting and stealth training she had been learning from her elders and snuck up behind U’Korih. 

“Hey asshole,” she proclaimed loudly and proudly, enjoying as he nearly jumped out his skin. 

U’Korih turned to her hissing and spitting ears flat against his head as he prepared for a fight.

“What do you want?” he narrowed his eyes at the huntress who so very rudely pulled him out of a very nice stargazing session.

“Geez, you don’t have to be so tense,” she teased bringing her hands to rest behind her head, “Mom wanted me to tell you that the Nunh said you need to be present at that dinner tomorrow night with the Flame commander person.” 

U’Korih let out a hefty sigh. The tip of his tail twitching in irritation, he flopped back down onto the rock, stretching out on his back, “You couldn’t wait until morning to tell me that?”

“I was told it was a matter of urgency. To make sure you’re fully prepared for your position or whatever.”

He really wants me of all people to be there? Aren’t I the Tia they try to pretend doesn’t exist?” 

“Yeah well, they seem to think it’ll be good for you. Since you do slack off on your duties anyways,” U’Shima sat down next to her half-brother and leaned back on her hands so she could get a better look at him. 

Technically speaking, most keeper of the sun M’iqote’s of a tribe were related in someway due to the way coupling is handled, with the Nuhn being the sirer of all children until he’s overthrown by a new Nuhn. U’Shima and her brother were related in a slightly different way though. A few years after U’Korih was born the Nuhn that fathered him had lost the challenge that had been set to him by one of the Tias at the time. That Tia turned Nuhn ended up being U’Shima’s sirer with U’Korih’s mother, hence half-siblings. It was not an uncommon relationship to have but the situation meant that the two of them had grown up closer to each other than any of their other tribemates. Which also meant U’Korih had to put up with her pestering him and following him around like a little chocobo chick his entire life. He would never admit, though, that he thoroughly enjoyed her company. 

“Of course mom thinks it’s a good idea. She’d do anything to help me ‘act like a proper Tia’” U’Korih lifted his hands into air quotes at the last part adding extra sarcasm to his statement. He dropped his hands and rolled over onto his side, propping his head up so he could view his sister.

“No one ever asked my opinion of the whole thing. They just expected me to do it because that’s just the way it’s always been done or some bullshit reason like that. But what if I don’t want to be a Tia?”

U’Shima let out a snort, “What? You think you can be a Nuhn? With your scrawny little legs? You couldn’t challenge a chocobo,” she snorted at her own joke before continuing, “U’Khuba and U’Tykha seem to enjoy being Tias so it can’t really be so bad.”

U’Korih’s ears flicked once more and he rolled over away from his sister body slightly curling in on itself, 

“I don’t want to be Nuhn either. I want-” his eyes caught sight of the blue aerthyte crystal glowing and twirling in the center of their sacred lands. 

It had only recently been erected by the adventurer’s guild of Ul’dah. In fact, that’s what this whole dinner was about. Their oasis had been cut off from the rest of Thanalan for generations and their tribe was quite happy to continue that way. These were sacred lands given to them by the Twelve in their time of need and it had supplied them with life ever since. One day though an adventurer, who had been travelling through the desert, stumbled upon their watering hole. He was thirsty and near death and the U had helped nurse him back to fighting condition. 

After he left and gone back to wherever he had came from, he must have spread the word about their little tribe because adventurers started flooding in from all over looking for respite from the desert storm or to try and coax their huntresses into bed with them. Regardless of intention, their oasis soon became a hub of unwanted attention and the Ul’dah syndicate, seeing an opportunity to profit, set up an aerthyte crystal and adventurer shops. 

All of this brought them to tomorrow’s dinner with one of the Flame commanders. The Flames were the warriors tasked with protecting Thanalan and Ul’dah from beastmen and the like and they wanted to set up an outpost here in the forbidden springs now that it had grown into such a hot spot of activity. A lot of the U were not too happy with what had happened to the tribe over the past several years but none would speak out against the decisions of the Nuhn so here they were, adventurers travelling in and out bringing their stories and their mess, desecrating their sacred lands for a few gold pieces. 

U’Korih was one of the very few in the tribe who didn’t mind the adventurer’s so much, sure they were crass and uncivilized but for the most part they flitted through quickly enough. If he got lucky U’Korih could catch an adventurer and convince them to tell him stories of other worlds and cities and people that they’ve met. He enjoyed hearing their tales of adventuring and their plans of where they were going next. They would tell him of a city built on the sea and a town made of trees, of the beautiful men and women they met along the way, and of the gold and glory they gained. It made U’Korih’s mind wander and body ache with the need to do something more with his life. To get out of this role the tribe had chosen for him. To be more than just another Tia. He wanted to be an adventurer and live those stories for himself. 

But whenever he spoke of wanting to be trained for hunting, or that he fancied leaving the tribe one day he was instantly shot down. He was a Tia and as a Tia it was his duty to take care of the needs of the tribe. He was supposed to watch the children, do the chores, assist the Nuhn whenever he called. He wasn’t allowed to have fantastical thoughts or needs of his own, his entire life was made for the tribe and he was expected to give everything he had for the tribe and nothing else. 

“If I go to this dinner do I get bonus points if I act like I care?” U’Korih sat up and rubbed at his arms forcibly pulling himself away from that train of thought and back to the conversation at hand. 

“I don’t know about bonus points but,” U’Shima paused, “I hear some big name adventurer’s will be there from the adventurer’s guild in Ul’dah.”

U’Korih raised an eyebrow at her picking up on her unspoken suggestion. She was the only person in the tribe who humored him and his dreams, teaching him how to fight in the very early mornings of the hours way off in the desert where no one could find them. Of course, U’Shima being trained as a huntress could wipe the floor with him real easily. (In later years Kori would deny the origin of the scar on his face.) But she would at least let him dream, which was a lot more than anyone else in their tribe would do. 

“What? I’m just saying what I heard. It’s not like I’m telling you to leave the tribe and follow your dreams of becoming a famous adventurer known the star over,” she crossed her arms and pouted slightly, “I’m just saying you should go to the dinner because that’s what you’re being told to do by the Nuhn.” 

He stood up and ruffled her hair between her ears a small smile playing on his lips, “You’re right. I should be a good little Tia and follow all the Nuhn’s orders and you should get to bed you’ve got a big hunt tomorrow with all those people we have to feed.”

U’Shima stood also and tried to stifle a yawn, “Yeah, yeah. You’re not my mom…..but I don’t want to be the slowest in the party.”

U’Shima gave U’Korih a quick punch to the arm that made him grimace with pain before she bounced her way to the edge of the rock and waved at him, “Night asshole. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Night,” he nodded to her, rubbing the spot that was sure to bruise by tomorrow. He watched as she gracefully jumped off the rock landed on her feet and ran off back to the village gates all in one go. 

U’Korih took one last look at the night sky a plan formulating in his head, he didn’t like it, not one bit, but if it meant he could finally get away from this place and do something with his life well then it would be worth it. And who knows, maybe once he becomes a wealthy adventurer they would forgive him….maybe. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my self indulgent lil fic


End file.
